Michael Schumacher's brave wife Corinna smiles in first public appearance in six months at horse show

Only weeks ago friends expressed fears for 45-year-old Michael's wife as she spent 10 hours a day by his side as he battled for life

Corinna Schumacher has spent months by her F1 legend husband's hospital bed, but she has been hailed a heroine as she laughed and joked at the weekend.

Only weeks friends expressed their fears for 45-year-old Michael's wife as she spent 10 hours a day by his side as he battled for life.

The racer's has been in a coma following a skiing accident in December when he fell and hit his head on rocks.

The seven-times Formula One world champion is now being treated in a rehab clinic near his family home in Lausanne where he has been for the past three weeks.

And his carers hope Schui, left virtually paralysed and speechless, may make enough progress to sit in a wheelchair before the summer is out.

Corinna, married to Michael for 18 years, laughed, joked, smiled and handed out chocolates at a riding event in her native Switzerland in her first public appearance in months.

Only weeks ago she was warned by close friends, despite her devotion to be with her husband, she was on the cusp of making herself gravely ill.

She was warned to find downtime for herself otherwise she risked succumbing to depression.

The latest pictures of her, dressed in jeans and a casual summer blouse, at the weekend at her western-style ranch in Givrins, Switzerland, shows she has taken the advice to heart.

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm was with her as she held a western-style riding tournament called 'reining' at the ranch.

Corinna was "the epitome of grace and charm", said onlookers at the ranch as riders from more than a dozen nations turned up for the day's events at the ultra-modern arena that Corinna bought in 2004.

Another onlooker said:" She was not so mighty that she couldn't push away a wheelbarrow with manure from the stables. She had kind words for everyone there."

The Schumacher's son Michael, 15, who usually likes racing karts like his father before he graduated to F1, rode one of her horses to give a display of his equestrian skills before his mother and sister sister Gina-Maria, 17.

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